Tree Care

Thanks to generous funding by the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, and in collaboration with public partners, the Town of Brookline and the City of Boston, the Conservancy continues to tackle deferred tree maintenance in the Emerald Necklace parks, from the Back Bay Fens, along the Riverway, around Wards Pond in Olmsted Park, continuing to Jamaica Pond Park. This extensive amount of tree care is important to assure visitor safety in the parks, maintain the health of our urban woodlands and preserve wooded habitats and the naturalistic beauty of the wooded portions of the parks.

Winter Tree Pruning Photos

Tips for Pruning

When to Prune:

Hardwoods: Hardwood trees and shrubs without showy flowers should be pruned in the dormant season to easily visualize the structure of the tree, to maximize wound closure in the growing season after pruning, to reduce the chance of transmitting disease, and to discourage excessive sap flow from wounds.
Ornamental trees: Flowering trees and shrubs should also be pruned during the dormant season. The one exception to this rule is spring-blooming trees such as cherries and dogwoods. Since these trees and shrubs set their buds in the fall, it is recommended to prune them after they flower to preserve the current year’s flowers.
Conifers: Conifers may be pruned any time of year, but pruning during the dormant season minimizes sap and resin flow from cut branches. Note: Trees and shrubs that are susceptible to pathogens such as fireblight or Dutch Elm Disease should be pruned during the dormant season to prevent risk of infection. Examples of these trees include hawthorn, crabapples, mountain ash, pear, and elms.

General pruning guidelines:

Prune first for safety, next for health, and finally for aesthetics
Remove dead, diseased, or damaged branches (this can be done at any time of the year).
Remove “sucker” growth.
Remove branches that are crossing or rubbing .
Thin the crown to increase air and light circulation. Do not remove more than one-quarter of the living crown of a tree at one time. If it is necessary to remove more, do it over successive years.

Note: The ultimate goal of pruning is to leave the tree looking as if it wasn’t pruned at all.

Pruning cuts

See diagrams below on proper pruning technique.

Pruning cuts should be made so that only branch tissue is removed and stem tissue is not damaged. If only branch tissues are cut when pruning, the stem tissues of the tree will probably not become decayed, and the wound will seal more effectively.